The cubies` ABC - The Art Institute of Chicago

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2010 with funding from
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http://www.archive.org/details/cubiesabcnewyorkOOIyal
n
COPYRIGHT BY
G. P.
PutnanVs Sons
tTbe Ikniclkerbocher press, IHevv l^orft
THE
DEDICATED
by
to
%A550CIATIDNorMRICAN PA1NTER5and SCULPTORS
<^T0 WHICH THEY OWE THEIR INCUBATION^
^1
A
U
^
/*
IS
/^\
for
(Not
Art
the
In
the Cubies'
domain
Art of the Ancients, brand-new are
the Cubies.)
Archipenko
They
're
's
their guide,
Anatomies
their bane;
the joy of the mad, the despair of the sane,
(With
their
emerald hair and their eyes red as
rubies.)
—A
is
for
Art
in the
Cubies' domain.
^^
—^
IS
for
Beauty as Brancusi views
(The Cubies
all
it.
vow he and Braque
take the
Bun.)
First
you
seize
lose
—B
is
for
that's
plain
to
the
eye,
then you
it;
Next you search
(They
all
tell
for the
me
it 's
Soul and proceed to abuse
easy and no end of fun.)
Beauty as Brancusi views
it.
it.
p!^!j^
Mi^m^
€nL
IS
for
Color Cubistic ad libitum
(<1
(Orange and
''Throw them
all
blue, yellow,
purple and green.)
on your boards," Cubies
say,
''then
exhibit 'em!"
There
'11
be no colors
(Watch them
left.
at
If
we
don't soon prohibit 'em!
work and you
mean.)
—C
is
for
Color Cubistic ad libitum.
lO
'11
see
what
I
IS
for
Duchamp,
Who, drawing
With
the
Deep- Dyed Deceiver,
accordeons, labels them
stairs,
a lady that must have been done in a fever,
His model won't
see
we
her,
trust,
it
would grieve
her!
(Should
the stairway collapse. Cubic 's good
repairs.)
—D
is
for
Duchamp,
the
Deep-Dyed
12
Deceiver.
at
^
'S for the Ego, intense and Exotic,
Enjoyed by a Cubie, and quaintly Expressed
In a lachrymose face with a gaze idiotic
When
seen on the canvas.
To
— E's
—
It's really
offer one's soul to the
for the
Quixotic
Cubical
Ego, intense and Exotic,
14
test!
'S for the Future for which Cubies hanker;
To
They
Hals, Perugino and
all
that old crew
give up the Past without envy or rancor,
While saying
in
than
tones
which
naught could be
franker:
*'Come, move on,
—
it's
our turn!
They have
ished with you."
— F's
for the
Future
for
which Cubies hanker.
i6
fin-
/r^
v3l
^ ^^1
IS
for
Gertrude Stein's limpid
lucidity,
(Eloquent scribe of the Futurist
soul.)
Cubies devour each word with avidity:
''Alone words lack sense," they affirm with placidity,
''But
liozv
wise we'll be
when we've swallowed
the whole!"
—G
is
for
Gertrude Stein's limpid
lucidity.
IS
MJ
for
Whom
1^
Henri's young
Red Top,
the shaver
Cubies regard with aversion and
His hfe-hke appearance has won
*'He might walk
right
spite.
their disfavor:
out of the picture!" they qua-
ver,
''Why, only
—H
is
for Henri's
to think of
it
fills
us with fright!"
young Red Top the shaver.
20
W
M
*'
'S for the Cubies'
'*The only
Without
it
real
we
all
need of an
would go
Between you and me,
The Cubies
—
Immense
I
've
Intuition,
artist,"
they say:
straight to perdition!"
a sneaking suspicion
themselves appear well on the way
I's for the Cubies'
Immense
22
Intuition.
S
for the
And
we
And
that
Jam
the Jar that
Is quite unexcelled
—J's
Cubles' headquarters,
they gave us, the
first
time
met;
same Jar
Have
In the
of
Jam from
among
across the blue waters
those the importers
wafted us over the ocean as
for the
Jam
in the
yet.
Cubies' headquarters.
24
ii
77/^ 'S
for
^\^ The
They
Kandinsky's Kute ''improvisations"
Kubies abound
in delight for his art:
say there's a Klue to his Kryptic Kreations.
By means
of Picabia's deep ratiocinations
Some day we may
— K's
for
really decipher his heart.
Kandinsky's Kute "improvisations."
26
IS
Jf^
for Life that
Or
When
think
blame
wish,
same
Is
—L
is
''still,"
as they
''nature" that's "dead," as
you
You'd
is
how
it's
treated,
name
it,
you readily
see.
you
can't
really
it.
in
it's
place,
yo7i
were dead.
Just the
it
shocking
how
cruel the Cubies can be!
for Life that is "still," as they
28
name
it.
'S for Matisse's Mam'selle Maroruerlte,
^^^,
^A\
yA (^With
Her manner
That,
if
is
whom
all
the Cubies are
so prepossessing
she but had them, we'd
(In her
eyes,
madly
and sweet
fall
at
her
's
for
feet!
what a mmgling of serpent and
dove!)
—M
in love;)
Matisse's Mam'selle Mars^uerite.
30
'S for the
We
Even
For
that the
we regard with dismay,
instance, the lady as long as
's for
Cubies portray,
wilHngly vouch for their perfect propriety,
while some
With
—N
Nudes
all
the
due
respect,
Nudes
we
that the
32
Broadway:
don't crave her society!
Cubies portray.
ink
'S for Objective and Optical Art,
(The kind we've been used
to,
these long years
gone by,)
Which
the Cubic Objects to with
"Make
the
Object
Subjective,"
all
he
of his heart:
says,
"at
start,
Just a matter of
—O
's
for
Grammar,
as easy as pie!"
Objective and Optical Art.
34
the
p^
-^
'S for Picasso, Picabia and Party
(Who
When, with
You beg
deal in abstractions, distractions and such.)
vision chaotic
and expletives
of a Cubic their sense to impart, he
Profoundly makes answer: "In
— P's
hearty,
for Picasso,
little
Picabia and Party.
36
is
much."
'S for the Oueerness
When
Progressive
we Stand-patters
young Cubles
feel
start
Art
re-
formation.
They're strong on
"Though
Initiative, praise the
the Cubic
Is
Square Deal:
best!" they aggressively squeal;
"Painting things as you see them
Is
rank defor-
mation!"
— Q's
for the
Oueerness we Stand-patters
38
feel.
r^) IS
for
^\^ Once
Reason and poor old
in the fashion,
but
Banished forever with grim
Now
the sole law
Find
—R
is
for
its
is
one's
Reality,
now
obsolete.
actuality.
own
personality
Cube Root and you have
Reason and poor old
40
Reality.
it
complete.
't^^^
^
The
IS
for
Schamberg's
dame
at
her 'phone,
Conversino^ with G. Stein, the Futurist scribe,
Cubies, eavesdropping, hear Gertrude bemoan:
"This one feehng many
The
—S
fair
is
for
far
seeming alone,
bluer the bliss the redder the bribe!"
Schamberg's
fair
42
dame
at
her 'phone.
T
'S for
Type
The Cubies
For a game
(A
tlie
of Tree Chabaud's erected.
insist it's as useful as fair
that they play
when
they're feeling dejected,
use which not every one would have detected,)
Lassoing the branches with rings of their
—T
s for the
Type
of
Tree Chabaud's erected.
44
hair.
y'S
for the
Union
so Utterly Useless
Uniting the members that make up the whole.
Arainst
it
the Cubies was^e
war
that
is
truceless:
''Such rage for convention," they cry, "is excuseless!
Away
—U
's
with cohesion, and set free the Soul!"
for the
Union
so Utterly Useless.
46
IS
for Villon's
musicianlv lady
(With charm evanescent and Visage remote.)
The
picnics he gives in his orchards so
Account
for his hit with the
Will
—V
is
spoil
Cubes.
them completely
'm afraid he
for plain table d'hote.
for Villon's musicianly lady.
48
I
shady
.
.
.
'S for Woolworth, the buildinor so stable,
.,
Erected with nickels and dimes by us
all,)
\\ hich Cubies paint writhing from cellar to gable,
Distinctly resembling the
Some decades
—'W
's
for
Tower
of Babel,
ago, just preceding
Woolworth, the building so
50
its fall.
stable.
IS the
When
Xit,
Xtremely alluring
Cubies invite us
to
study their Art;
And
the Xquisite pain
The
while they protest, with an air reassuring:
"
—X
is
Of
course this
we
is
are sadly enduring
merely a diffident start
the Xit, Xtremely alluring.
52
!''
¥'S
At
for the
Yawn
sight of a painting not
"If a man doesn't use
To
overcomino^ each Cubie
all
done
the colors, from ruby
sapphire and emerald and topaz
To
—Y's
look at
for the
Ms
in his style:
canvas
is
the booby!
—
not worth one's while!'
Yawn overcoming
54
—
each Cubie.
IS
for
Zak's summer-time composition;
v^^\ The Cubies regard
They
And
are
his
somewhat fatigued
tempted
to
slumber;
We'll tuck them
in
so,
plump
hills
with delight.
after this exhibition
with your permission,
snugly and bid them good-
night.
—Z
is
for
Zak's summer-time composition.
56
^^
f:ri
6(.